Description
The amazing people at Totem Design House have created this unique t-shirt design in honour of wild salmon on BC Wild Salmon Day. Pre-order your shirt today. All proceeds benefit wild salmon recovery efforts.
About Totem Design House
Totem Design House is a family collaboration between brother and sister creative team Jesse & Erin Brillon. The Brillons are of Haida and Cree ancestry and have grown up in deep appreciation of their rich cultural heritage. When we asked Erin to consider a t-shirt design for BC Wild Salmon Day, she told us about her deep connection with the BC Coast, the cultural importance of salmon for her, and growing up in a commercial fishing family. Erin opened a studio and showroom in 2019, located on Comox Avenue on K’omoks First Nation near Courtenay, BC. The studio is a 100% native-owned and operated venture, which also has a focus on giving back.
About the Artist
Acclaimed Northwest Coast artist Andy Everson was born in Comox, BC in 1972. Influenced heavily by his grandmother, he has always been driven to uphold the traditions of both the K’omoks and Kwakwaka’wakw First Nations. Andy specializes in both contemporary and traditional art and is well known for his melding of Northwest Coast art with pop culture.
About the T-shirt Design
The t-shirt design was created by Andy Everson and inspired by his 2010 limited edition print “The Return“.
“Since time immemorial, my people have relied upon the return of the salmon for sustenance. Being anadromous fish, salmon begin their life cycle in rivers and streams. After growing in nearby lakes, they begin their long journey out to sea. Amazingly, after countless thousands of miles of travel, they find their way back to the river of their birth. Particularly striking are the sockeye who transform into a brilliant crimson red upon entering freshwater. Struggling upriver, their dying gasps allow them to spawn and continue their life cycle in a new generation. The return is complete.
Unfortunately, this return is getting more and more scarce in a number of rivers throughout our territory. Some say this is due to overfishing before the salmon even re-enter British Columbian waters. Others say it is due to zealous over-logging along the coast that destroy spawning beds and delicate river ecosystems. Still others say that our salmon return is being decimated by the presence of open net-cage fish farms…In order to ensure that salmon continue to return to the rivers, we must object to all of these unsustainable practices!” – Andy Everson
